Jun 29, 2020 | Blog
These unprecedented times have disrupted our lives in more ways than one, and in particular our mental health. Those who may not have ever had issues prior to Covid, are now having to attend to their mental health needs, like never before. Isolation has proved to be a huge hurdle, and not having a supportive family or network, due to your sexual orientation, can leave a person really struggling under these unforeseen circumstances. Most LGBT+ will have experienced some kind of mental health issues at some stage in their lives, such as depression and/or anxiety, but Covid has brought things to a very new and scary level.
Mental health amongst the LGBT+ community has always been an issue and it is worth highlighting, especially now, as we try to come to terms with this ‘new normal.’ Due to the contagious nature of this virus, social distancing and keeping far from loved ones is promoted, which means a lot of LGBT+ people are being forced into further isolation from those very connections that keep them going on a day to day basis. Being stripped of one’s physical support systems and everyday surroundings can have a detrimental effect on person’s mental state. Isolation, I believe, is one of the biggest challenges for LGBT+ people during this pandemic, and it is once a person starts feeling that they are alone and by themselves in this, that the mind really starts to play up.
Thoughts of despair and hopelessness can, soon creep in, following this, feelings of fear, invisibility and panic can take over and before you can say ‘Bob’s your uncle’, you have been in bed for several days, hidden under the covers, not taking calls and back in that dark place, you so desperately fought to get out of. This is an all too familiar story for many LGBT+ people.
So, what I challenge you to do in this very uncertain time, you warrior, you!
Make your mental health a priority!
Get physical, get active, get outside!
Reach out, call someone, anyone!…..Video Call, the joys!
Get online, reach out to similar minded people, join groups that inspire and motivate you.
Work on being positive, it’s a skill…the mind is a muscle, work it out!
Take up a new hobby or get around to that project you have been talking about since last year.
Things will get better, it is not all doom and gloom, we just have to look at things a little differently and interact with people a little more mindfully, but just for a while.
We all have to dig deep here, and if nothing else, the LGBT+ community is renowned for being strong, resilient, and we will make it through this storm……you will make it through.
Like everything else…..’This too shall pass.’
Jun 25, 2020 | News
Children under the age of 16 could be able to legally change their gender.
Under current legislation, only people over 18 can legally change their gender. Fine Gael is discussing the proposal, following a report from its LGBT committee. Sara Philips, chair of TENI, said the group welcomes the fact that it is being considered, but it is still very early days.
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Article is from Irish Examiner of June 2020 by Digital Desk staff
Jun 24, 2020 | News
Kerry Pride has announced Pride Inside, an online Pride festival to replace the traditional in-person event. A collaboration between Kerry Pride, Killarney Pride, Black Pride Ireland, Galway Pride, Limerick Pride, and Mayo Pride, the festival will take place from 11th-19th of July 2020.
The events happening online throughout the week of the festival will include panel discussions, watch parties, quizzes, and live music. Morgan Queeney, chair of Kerry Pride said: “We are delighted to be working with Killarney Pride, Black Pride Ireland, Galway Pride, Limerick Pride, and Mayo Pride for Pride Inside. “
To read more of this post, please go to the link Here
Article is from EMPWR edition of June 2019 by By Clodagh Meaney
Jun 4, 2020 | News
Every year, Dublin Pride is celebrated in increasingly vibrant, rambunctious and joyous fashion. In this, the final year of the second decade of the 21st Century, the capital of Ireland ranks among the most LGBT+ friendly cities in the world. But what is the queer experience like for people across the rest of Ireland? In a special four-part hotpress.com series, Pride Beyond the Pale intends to find that out. We begin in the legendary Kingdom of Kerry, where we meet some wonderful, pioneering locals, and hear what they have about the queer experience here.
at Carey was the last person to lead the Tralee Pride Parade. That was back in 2015. Originally from the small Co. Kerry town of Castlemaine, Pat is a former Minister for Community, Equality and Gaeltacht affairs, holding office from 2010 to 2011, in the Fianna Fáil-led coalition government with the Green Party. Pat came out as gay late in life, but as a former Grand Marshal of Tralee Pride, a call to him seemed like a good place to begin research on Pride in the Kingdom. His response was hugely disheartening. “I left Kerry in 1965, I am afraid,” he said, “and I haven’t been back much since then.”
My worst fears – that Kerry is still small, parochial, closed-minded, no place for queer people – seemed to be confirmed before I even started. Any prejudice I had was enhanced with his closing remark: “The battle is far from won I’m afraid.” He had put me on notice.
My next call opened up a very different vista.
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Article is from HotPress edition of June 2019 by Niamh Browne
Jun 4, 2020 | News
Five members of a new group tackling a lack of LGBT+ visibility in Kerry spoke to Tadhg Evans about their urgent campaign
Over five months in 2018 and ’19, 138 people took part in research documenting LGBT+ life in Kerry. ‘Visible in Kerry’ – which Listowel Family Resource Centre commissioned in partnership with the HSE and KDYS. When it launched last month it handed the county some tough reading.
any of the survey’s young participants described feeling unsafe at school and said they had suffered threats of physical assault because of their sexuality, gender identity, or both. While respondents reported feeling happier when they could be open about their identity, it remains common to feel uncertain, anxious, and even fearful of others’ reactions. Most adults surveyed reported positive experiences of being LGBT+ in Kerry, though many noted that rural life sets more challenges than urban life.
Tor read more of this post, please go to the link Here
Article is from The Kerryman edition of November 2019
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